The Legion honors local soldiers with a cross and a wreath
(GREENSBURG, Ind.) – The Decatur County Community Foundation (DCCF) is awarding the Greensburg American Legion with a grant.
The Legion displays crosses and wreaths at the graves of soldiers during the Memorial Day holiday.
The cross and wreath remain out to honor fallen veterans until a week later, when volunteers remove the symbols and carefully store them away for the next year.
The current crosses are nearly 30 years old and the organization was hoping to replace them.
“We’ve repaired them several times over the years, but the time has finally come to replace them. We are grateful to the Foundation for helping with the new crosses,” said American Legion volunteer Russell Wilhoit.
DCCF offered a matching challenge to help with the project. The American Legion raised $3,000 through its own efforts, and the Foundation matched the funds through the Ella Jo Briggs Veterans Field of Interest Fund.
“It took no time at all to raise the initial $3,000 for the project,” noted American Legion volunteer Joe Crank. “We had 23 individual donors and raised the money almost immediately.”
DCCF recently delivered the funds from the matching grant to the American Legion.
Crank and volunteers Wilhoit, Ron Eineman, and Don Bultman are primarily responsible for initiating the project. They are the same volunteers who place the crosses at the Veterans Circle each year. The group is always looking for additional volunteers to help.
To learn more about the Veterans Cross project, contact the American Legion at (812) 663-2199.
To learn more about the Foundation or the Ella Jo Briggs Veterans Field of Interest Fund, contact the Foundation at (812) 662-6364.
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